1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a closure clamp, comprising a carrier element provided with a bearing, and a clamping lever swivable relative thereto the one end of which is connected to the bearing and the second end of which comprises a handle, with a clamping element being pivotally disposed on the clamping lever between the bearing and the handle and detachably connecting a locking element arranged on the side of the bearing facing away from the handle, to the carrier element.
2. Description of the State of Art
A closure clamp of the afore-described type is known from DE 90 16 964 U1. Closure clamps of this type in conjunction with their locking element in which the clamping element is hanging, serve for tightly or closely clamping any sort of parts together, wherein the locking element is firmly arranged on one of the parts and the carrier element along with the clamping lever and the clamping element in alignment therewith is tightly arranged on the second of these parts. In the opening position of the clamping lever, the clamping element swivably disposed thereon is placed above the locking element which, during restoring of the clamping lever to the clamping position, gets in abutment with the correspondingly formed locking element tightening the same, with the clamping lever being pressed downward to the dead center position or a position slightly thereabove corresponding to the final clamping position.
The afore-described conventional closure clamps, actually, are satisfactory in operation. However, for safely opening a closure of this type, in the past, both of the user""s hands have always been needed: one for operating the clamping lever and one for putting back the clamping element on the clamping lever (opening position). Using only one hand results in that the clamping element, in the opening position, remains in the area of the locking element thus involving the disadvantage, for example, when removing the part to which the locking element is fixed, that the locking element and the clamping element might, inadvertently, get stuck. Accordingly, provision will have to be made to the effect that the clamping element be removed from the area of the locking element. Accordingly, the closure clamp according to DE 90 16 964 U1 renders it difficult to rapidly and, if possible, simultaneously open a plurality of such clamps due to the need of using both hands for one clamp. This is the more so disadvantageous as, basically, in the majority of fields of applications, a multiplicity of closure clamps of this type are required to be operated.
Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to improve the closure clamp of the afore-mentioned type in a simple way, to the effect that the same can be readily placed, by using only one hand, in the opening position without getting stuck.
This problem, in the practice of the invention, is solved by a closure clamp of the afore-mentioned type in that for swivelling the clamping element, the same is provided, on the side facing the handle, with a hand-operated lever.
Proceeding from the final clamping position, the way of operation of the closure clamp is as follows: First, the clamping lever is embraced by one the user"" hands, thereby disengaging the clamping element from the locking element, yet causing it, correspondingly arranged, to stay thereon under the effect of gravity. Next, the clamping element, with the aid of the lever of the invention, is swivelled back to such an extent that it continues to rest on the clamping lever, it being of deciding importance that it is only the lever facing the handle (which, as a rule, is operated by the user""s thumb) that enables the entire opening process to be carried out with one of the user""s hands only. Resorting to the user""s second hand can be foregone, i.e. the second hand can be used for example, to simultaneously open another clamping device.
After the clamping element along with the lever of the invention having been swivelled out of the area of the locking element, basically, no additional handles are required. However, especially in a vibrating background it has proved advantageous to completely fold back the clamping lever along with the clamping element, i.e. to place it in the position that corresponds to the final clamping position, involving, however, the difference that the clamping element now is quasi safely deposited on the clamping lever, being unable to automatically move into the area of the locking element. The two parts originally clamped together, in that condition, can be readily separated from one another.
Preferred embodiments have been set out in the dependent claims.